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First Edition: June 1, 2010

A number of today's headlines focus on the continuing role of health reform in national political calculations and strategies.

1 Jun 2010

Race matching among donors and recipients has no effect on survival rates: Study

Transplant surgeons at Johns Hopkins who have reviewed the medical records of more than 20,000 heart transplant patients say that it is not simply racial differences, but rather flaws in the health care system, along with type of insurance and education levels, in addition to biological factors, that are likely the causes of disproportionately worse outcomes after heart transplantation in African Americans.

1 Jun 2010

Health law mandates higher Medicare payment for osteoporosis tests

The Boston Globe: "A $3 million campaign by doctors, scanner operators, manufacturers, and groups devoted to women's health helped persuade lawmakers to overrule Medicare administrators this year and restore much of the reimbursement for osteoporosis tests. In a little-noticed provision buried deep in the sweeping new health care bill, Congress decreed that Medicare shall pay $97 for each test, instead of $50.

1 Jun 2010

Family businesses may miss out on insurance tax credits; Doctors' angry with Congress

The Boston Globe explores a largely overlooked provision in the tax credits offered to small businesses by the new health law to help cover the costs of insuring workers. "[M]any Massachusetts small business owners who employ mostly family members are discovering fine print in the new law that disqualifies, or substantially limits, their tax credit. That language says family-owned businesses are not allowed to count employees who are also family members toward the credit, which is retroactive to January.

31 May 2010

Congress needs to replace current outdated Medicare payment system

The Alliance of Specialty Medicine, representing over 100,000 specialty physicians nationwide, released the following statement on Congress's unwillingness to improve and permanently fix the Medicare reimbursement system:

29 May 2010

Congress needs to save Medicare, TRICARE programs for seniors, military families

"The Senate has turned its back on seniors, and America's physicians are outraged that Congress has deserted patients by failing to address this year's Medicare cut before the June 1 deadline. Senators are more interested in heading home for the holiday than in preventing a Medicare meltdown for seniors. The 21 percent Medicare physician payment cut has been looming all year, and yet all Congress has managed to do is repeated short-term delays.

29 May 2010

Anthem launches new "modernized" Medicare Supplement plans

Today Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Maine (Anthem) introduced new "modernized" Medicare Supplement plans that have been updated to consider the needs of today's Medicare beneficiaries.

29 May 2010

Jobs bill: Dems keep 'doc fix' but jettison COBRA benefits, extra state Medicaid funding

House Democrats, under pressure from fiscal conservatives to cut spending, have dropped from a jobs bill both a COBRA subsidy extension to help newly laid-off pay for health coverage as well as more federal aid to boost state Medicaid budgets, The Associated Press reports. Although several programs covered by the bill will expire during the congressional recess that begins this weekend, final action isn't expected because even if House members reach agreement on the measure, it must still go to the Senate, which has not scheduled any votes today.

29 May 2010

MU awarded $6.8M to help patients benefit from use of health information technology

Considered one the great advances of modern medicine, electronic health records can provide a patient's entire medical history and a wealth of other information at the click of a button. They also have the potential to save countless lives and billions of dollars. Now, the University of Missouri has a two-year, $6.8 million cooperative agreement to help patients throughout the state benefit from increased use of this health information technology.

29 May 2010

Republicans criticize CMS brochure on Medicare improvements

As the secretary of health and human services explains it, the government has an obligation to spread the word about the new health-care law. To that end, the department spent millions of dollars printing a glossy brochure and mailing it this week to 40 million Medicare beneficiaries detailing what Secretary Kathleen Sebelius called 'the facts.'

29 May 2010

Ocean Medical Imaging Center acquires X-Ray Associates in NJ

Ocean Medical Imaging Center (OMIC), developed through a partnership with Lake Forest, Calif.-based InSight Health Services Holdings Corp., today announced that it acquired X-Ray Associates, P.A. in Toms River, NJ from the Sonix Medical Resources, Inc. bankruptcy proceeding in New York. OMIC purchased the new center for approximately $1.475 million.

29 May 2010

Text of brochure mailed to Medicare beneficiaries

The federal government sent a brochure to more than 40 million Medicare beneficiaries, "Medicare and the New Health Care Law - What It Means for You," which is generating political controversy.

29 May 2010

Medicare 'doughnut hole' rebate checks are in mail, Obama adminstration announces

Senior citizens who hit the so-called doughnut hole in Medicare's drug benefit will begin getting $250 rebate checks in two weeks, the Obama administration announced Thursday — providing one of the first tangible benefits of the recently enacted healthcare law. The rebates, designed in part to bolster support for the controversial law, are the first steps in a decade-long phase-out of the unpopular gap in Medicare Part D drug coverage.

29 May 2010

Today's Opinions: Never-events, Medicare 'propaganda' and drug copays

According to the Labor Department, overall inflation has averaged about 2.5 percent annually, and prescription drug prices have gone up about 3.6 percent each year, over that time frame. Co-pays, though, have increased four times faster than inflation (Peter J. Pitts, 5/28).

29 May 2010

First Edition: May 28, 2010

Today's health policy headlines focus on efforts by federal officials to get more insurance plans to move early on coverage for young adults as well as congressional Democrats' struggle to pass legislation to extend the COBRA benefit subsidy and to prevent a scheduled cut in Medicare payments to physicians.

28 May 2010

New report showing nation's progress toward eliminating HAIs released

Today, we are releasing a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which shows our nation is making progress toward eliminating healthcare-associated infections that kill almost 100,000 Americans each year. The report today focuses on central line-associated bloodstream infections, serious infections that can cause death in hospitalized patients and an estimated $2.7 billion in added cost to the U.S. healthcare system.

28 May 2010

One-quarter of all hospital patients experience readmission for same conditions: AHRQ

Roughly one-quarter of all hospital patients were readmitted over a two-year period for the same conditions that prompted their initial hospitalization, according to the latest News and Numbers by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

28 May 2010

Quality Partners of Rhode Island equips healthcare providers with Pocket Guide to Pressure Ulcers

Quality Partners of Rhode Island, the state's Medicare Quality Improvement Organization, has equipped Ocean State nursing homes working to reduce pressure ulcers with copies of the Pocket Guide to Pressure Ulcers, a new reference resource.

28 May 2010

Uroplasty reports strong sales growth for Macroplastique in fourth-quarter 2010

Uroplasty, Inc., a medical device company that develops, manufactures and markets innovative proprietary products to treat voiding dysfunctions, today reported financial results for the fourth fiscal quarter and full year ended March 31, 2010. The results were highlighted by continued strong U.S. sales growth for Macroplastique and a reduction in operating and net loss compared to the prior year.

28 May 2010

Last defendant in 6-year Calif. Medicare fraud case sentenced

The Associated Press/San Jose Mercury News: A $15 million Medicare fraud case in California has ended as the last of 17 defendants was sentenced this week to 30 months in prison.

28 May 2010

Medicare News and Research

First Edition: June 1, 2010

Race matching among donors and recipients has no effect on survival rates: Study

Health law mandates higher Medicare payment for osteoporosis tests

Family businesses may miss out on insurance tax credits; Doctors' angry with Congress

Congress needs to replace current outdated Medicare payment system

Congress needs to save Medicare, TRICARE programs for seniors, military families

Anthem launches new "modernized" Medicare Supplement plans

Jobs bill: Dems keep 'doc fix' but jettison COBRA benefits, extra state Medicaid funding

MU awarded $6.8M to help patients benefit from use of health information technology

Republicans criticize CMS brochure on Medicare improvements

Ocean Medical Imaging Center acquires X-Ray Associates in NJ

Text of brochure mailed to Medicare beneficiaries

Medicare 'doughnut hole' rebate checks are in mail, Obama adminstration announces

Today's Opinions: Never-events, Medicare 'propaganda' and drug copays

First Edition: May 28, 2010

New report showing nation's progress toward eliminating HAIs released

One-quarter of all hospital patients experience readmission for same conditions: AHRQ

Quality Partners of Rhode Island equips healthcare providers with Pocket Guide to Pressure Ulcers

Uroplasty reports strong sales growth for Macroplastique in fourth-quarter 2010

Last defendant in 6-year Calif. Medicare fraud case sentenced

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